Information, Understanding & Support for those impacted by Self-Harm in its various forms.

My Kiwi Liebster Award!

My Kiwi blogging buddy Cate from over at ‘Infinite Sadness or what?’ has so very kindly awarded this blog for ‘the Liebster Award’.

I am so very grateful to Cate for this award not least of all because this blog is one which I struggle with the most I think.

If my understanding is correct the award is given according to the following remit…

“This award is given to blogs with less than 200 followers, as a way to
encourage them, as well as spread love around the community. It also shares
appreciation for fellow bloggers and the wonderful work they do.”

So I am humbled and grateful.

For the record this award was delivered via the comment section of this blog, and not by airmail. But that is perfectly understandable as we have already established that Kiwi’s don’t fly 🙂

Under the terms of the award I now have to share 11 random facts about myself and since Cate very kindly awarded this blog the award I have decided that I am going to try to pay homage to her Kiwi status by linking a relevant New Zealand fact within each of the Random facts about me…

My Latest 11 Random Facts.

Fact 1...

I have crazy kind of brain. (Like that is either random or news, but hey it is a fact at least) and as a result of it I often contemplate stupid and trivial things such as…

What was the best thing before sliced bread? Since we all say “its the best thing since sliced bread”, and…

According to reported statistics there are up to 9 times more sheep in New Zealand than there are people. If this is the case then why is it that you don’t see more New Zealand Sheep writing blogs? I mean obviously New Zealand people do, Cate proves that so one would think that statistically there should be a greater number of New Zealand sheep writing blogs.

Fact 2…

I once (when I was much younger) went to a late night fancy dress party with my older brother. He went dressed as a Pharaoh and I went dressed in drag as a woman. We got a taxi there and he sat in the back and I sat in the front. All the way to the party the taxi driver was chatting me up and touching me knee. Something which caused my older brother (who could hear what the taxi driver was saying nd on at least one occasion noticed the taxi driver touching my knee) much amusement. What gave me the most amusement however was the look on the taxi driver’s face when after we had arrived at the party he offered to come in with me and I looked him square in the face and in my deep male voice told him, “I don’t think that is such a good idea, do you fella? And anyway you aren’t my type!”

And whilst talking about cars (a taxi is after all a car) New Zealand is reported to have the highest rate of car ownership. Which would suggest (given our previous statistic) that the sheep in New Zealand drive or at least own cars.

Fact 3…

I can read books just as easy when they are upside down as when they are the right way up. Always have been able to and I sometimes deliberately hold a book upside down and read it when I am on a bus or a train just to enjoy the quizzical expressions of the people sat opposite me.

New Zealand is reported to have more book shops than any other country in the world. Sooooo ( yes you guessed it) does that mean the sheep all read books?

Fact 4…

When I was younger I decided that it was time I got into a more sedate sport (previously I had done football, fencing, rugby, boxing, Judo, and Karate) so I decided to try my hand at Golf. Unlike my older and younger brothers I was absolutely useless at it! On numerous occasions ending up hitting the darned ball backwards instead of forwards (don’t ask me how as I still don’t know to this day) so I gave it up as a bad idea!

By the way, New Zealand is reported to have the more golf courses than any other country in the world ( bet you know what is coming now, don’t you?) does that mean the sheep all play golf?

And…… did they learn how by reading book on the subject? (Bet you didn’t see that part coming) And…… Since they all own cars, do they practice on the ‘driving range’? ( Ha, how’s that for creativity!)

Fact 5…

When I was a child I fell through a shed roof. How’s that for random? (Hm I wonder if that explains a lot more than I have considered?) In my defense I was very young and the shed was very old and very shaky as a result of that.

(Wondering how I am going to incorporate a New Zealand fact on that one?) Well the shed was old and shaky and New Zealand is known colloquially as “the Shaky Isles’ because of it’s geothermal activity and numerous earthquakes.

The shed I fell through the roof of as a child.

Fact 6…

When I visit my local movie rental shop they have a special deal whereby you can hire old movies for a week at a time at a very low cost. One of my favourite things to do is to pick a handful of these older movies which I have never heard of and see if I can find any ‘little gems’ in them.

Two of my favourite films found this way (and I now own them both on DVD) are ‘Whale Rider’ and ‘Rabbit Proof Fence’ Hm. Does that qualify me for honorary ‘Kiwi’ and ‘Aussie’ status I wonder?

Fact 7…

In my guest bathroom I have very nice white birdcage on a stand in which there is a talking motion activated model of a ‘bouncer/nightclub doorman’ it is there because I used to be a bouncer and so did my son and because whenever I have had a bird, they have always died shortly after I have bought them – probably as a result of TJ my dog scaring the poor things to death.

I would if it were not for TJ, love to have a talking parrot which would of course replace the bouncer.

And incidentally, New Zealand is home of the Kakapo the world’s largest, flightless parrot.

Fact 8…

When my fiance and I got engaged and we were planning the wedding the idea was floated about our combining our surnames in order to continue my wife’s family name (at least in part) since she was an only child. But such was the distress that this idea gave my father, who was keen for my Family name to continue as is that we decided that to combine the two surnames and thus change my surname would be a mistake.

New Zealand got it’s name by mistake! In 1642 the Dutch seafarer Abel Tasman became the first European to discover New Zealand, which he named ‘Staten Landt’ on his maps, thinking it was an island off Chile sighted in 1616. When it was realized that they were two different places, the Dutch mapmakers gave the archipelago the Latin name ‘Nova Zeelandia’ after the Dutch province. The Latin became the Dutch ‘Nieuw Zeeland’, which was in turn misspelled ‘New Zealand’ by the English explorer Captain James Cook.

Fact 9…

As an avid reader I have many authors who’s work I enjoy reading. Among my favourites are C. S. Lewis J. R. R. Tolkien who were great friends.

Amongst my book collection I have the full set of Lewis’s ‘Narnia Chronicles’ and the full set of Tolkien’s Hobbit/Lord of The Rings etc. I also have the movies and interestingly (at least for the purpose of linking my random facts with New Zealand) both of the Narnia Chronicles and the Lord of the Rings films have in part been filmed in New Zealand.

Fact 10…

As a child I spent most of my time during summer holidays on the beach. I grew up in my family home on the south coast of England and within minutes of the beach and so that is where we spent most of our summer days and I loved it!

New Zealand has a beach called 90 mile beach which is actually only about 55 miles long.

Fact 11…

I have contemplated trying many extreme sports/activities in my time but have always resisted the temptation. Of all the crazy extreme sports/activities that are out there the one which frightens me the most and which I would never ever consider doing is bungee jumping.

Bungee jumping was actually invented – (yep you guessed it) in New Zealand.

Conclusion.

So there you have them, my 11 random facts and my 11 linked facts about New Zealand ( man that was a challenge – why do I get myself into these crazy ideas?)

I hope they haven’t bored you too much and I hope I have done Cate and New Zealand proud.

Ah New Zealand, a wonderful country where the sheep outnumber the people up to 9-1. Where the sheep play golf, drive about in cars, and read books. (Although obviously the sheep don’t read books to the birds otherwise they could have taught the birds HOW TO FLY!)

Why do the sheep outnumber people 9-1? Well it might have something to do with the fact that New Zealander’s favourite past time seems to be tieing elastic around peoples’ ankles and pushing them off of bridges and things?

Or is the tieing of elastic round people’s ankles just a safety precaution as a result of the isles being so shaky?

And where the country is so old and unreal that it is a perfect location for fantasy films.

And where they have beautiful long beaches, sadly not as long as they say they are in their names however 🙂

(And if the New Zealand Tourist Board is reading this I am available for consultation for wtriting adverts, pamphlets and slogan etc.)

My Nominations…

And as a recipient of this award I am now meant to nominate other blogs and bloggers who have …

” less than 200 followers, as a way to encourage them,
as well as spread love around the community. It also shares
appreciation for fellow bloggers and the wonderful work they do.”

LOL. Yes indeed I did laugh all the way through that and on Monday I will be sure to ring the so-called New Zealand Tourist Board and insist they employ you immediately. What concerns me though is that on my one and only trip to Ireland I’m sure I saw sheep, but you seem to have little knowledge of the ways of sheep if you think blogging, golf, driving… and let’s not forget reading are activities sheep are capable of. What’s more, while I haven’t done it and don’t plan to bungy jump that little bit of elastic could come in handy here in our earthquakes when the stairwells collapse. A good way to get out of a building fast perhaps? I might just take to carrying a length of elastic in my pocket. I was a Girl Guide a long time ago so am still always prepared. 🙂

Excellent post, even at the expensive of us kiwis. You’ve perked up my night. Thanks. 😛

Glad you enjoyed the post and my apologies to anyone who thought I went over the top at making fun of Kiwi’s. It really was meant as a bit of fun only and Iwanted o se if I could link 11 random facts about myself to 11 about New Zealand and to do so in a fun way.

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The views and opinions expressed in this blog are exactly that - simply views and opinions of the author as a mental illness sufferer and it is strongly advised that readers seek professional advice before making any decision in respect of their own mental health and/or the mental health of those in their care.

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